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2003
Volunteer Leader Training Guide
Making and Learning Through Toys
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Handouts & Visuals
Objectives
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To inform participants why toys are important for a child‘s growth and
development.
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To share information with participants about how to choose age-appropriate
toys for children.
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To provide participants with examples of how to make toys from ordinary
"junk."
Target Audience
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Parents, grandparents and early childhood educators
Introduction
Play touches on every aspect of development. Toys are the tools children use
in play. Toys can bring a great deal of fun and excitement to children, and they
are also valuable learning experiences. Children need to have direct experience
with the world around them in order to make sense of and learn about it. Have
you ever thought about the many different things a child learns. Beginning at
birth, infants are constantly learning new things. They talk, sit up, walk and
run. They begin to learn what objects are and how they work. They learn about
people and the world, just to name a few. Children can learn all these concepts
by playing with toys.
Opening Activity
Every child has a favorite toy(s), even adults have a favorite "toy." Take a
few minutes and think back to your childhood. Think about what your favorite toy
was when you were growing up. Think about that toy and how it helped you learn
new concepts and develop. Encourage participants to share their answers with the
group.
Main Teaching Points
- Toys are important for many reasons. They help children learn and
develop physically, emotionally, intellectually and socially. Toys can help
children exercise their small and large muscles and practice coordination
and balance. Children learn how to create and use their imaginations while
playing with toys. Playing with toys also helps them gain self-confidence.
Children use toys to help build friendships. They often talk more easily to
one another over toys. Toys help children discover how others think and
feel. With toys, children use energy and experience different emotions. Toys
can help teach children useful ways to deal with resolving conflict and/or
anger.
- It‘s very important to choose toys based on a child‘s particular age and
interest. Infant and toddler age children enjoy toys that squeak, rattle,
push and pull. Preschool-age children like to play with building blocks,
puppets and dramatic play toys. School-age children will be most interested
in board games, writing, drawing and magnets.
- Infants (1 to 18 months) need bright-colored toys of many textures. They
should be washable, non-breakable and have no sharp edges that might cut or
scratch. Toys should be large enough so they cannot be swallowed. Choose
toys for them to look at, feel, chew on, hold and drop.
- Toddlers (18 months to 3 years) are more active and will enjoy climbing,
running and jumping. They need toys to help meet those needs. They are
interested in doing things with their hands, as the small muscles in their
fingers are becoming more developed. Toys for this age group should be
simple and require little coordination. During toddlerhood, they become
interested in playing with others and imitating adults. Toddlers are still
putting things in their mouths, so you will need to watch out for toys and
objects with small parts.
- Preschoolers (3 1/2 to 5 years) become dramatic, creative and more
social. They become more interested in playing with others instead of
playing alone. Preschool children are also interested in active physical
play. They have more control of their muscles at this age. They are also
increasingly curious about the world surrounding them. You may notice that
preschool-age children play with many of the same toys as toddlers. Adults
should encourage them to be creative and experiment safely.
- Early school-age children (5 to 8 years) like to start collections and
hobbies. Toys occupy less time for this age group because children spend
more and more time playing with friends and groups of children, but they
still enjoy playing with toys. School will open a new world for early
school-age children. They begin to make use of reading and writing skills,
as well as their improved muscle control. This is the age of active games.
- Refer to Handout 1:
Age-Appropriate Toys.
- Refer to Handout 2:
Toys to Choose/Toys to Avoid.
- You may be surprised at how many items on a toy list can be found in
your own home, garage sales, flea markets or even regular garbage.
Understanding the idea behind a particular toy (what it teaches), taking
inventory of ordinary items in your yard and home and some creative thinking
can save you money. Keep in mind that a toy is anything fun children can
safely play with. Children need good toys to play with, but they don‘t have
to be expensive.
Suggested Activity
There are many ways you can turn ordinary "junk" items into toys. Have a
variety of "junk" items set up around a table. You can use examples of materials
to set up your table from Handout 3:
Free Materials. Encourage participants to create a toy from the materials on
the table. Discuss some of the different items and have participants show the
toys that were made from the ordinary "junk."
- Refer participants to Handout 3:
Free Materials.
- More than 120,000 children are taken to hospital emergency rooms each
year for treatment of toy-related injuries. Toys need to be evaluated to
make sure they are safe for children.
- Refer participants to Handout 4:
Toy Safety. This handout provides some important suggestions to follow
to help keep children safe from harmful toys.
- It‘s important to check a current list of recalled toys and products to
make sure no recalled toys are being used. Recalled products and toys pose a
threat of injury or even death. Share information about recalled products
with others, and encourage them to remove potentially dangerous children‘s
toys and products. Information about recalls is available from the Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC). You can reach them at their web site:
http://www.cpsc.gov (Go to Recalls/News). The CPSC toll-free number is
1-800-638-2772. CPSC recalls can be sent to you directly by fax (send your
name and fax number) to 301-504-0399 or by e-mail (send message to
listproc@cpsc.gov and in message area, enter: Join CPSINFO-L).
Closing
Selecting age-appropriate toys that are safe for children is critical to
their growth and development. Toys can be store-bought or made from materials
you have found around the house. Children learn a great deal through play and
the toys that we provide for them. These play experiences encourage them to
explore, develop and learn.
References
- National Network for Child Care-NNCC. (1999). Olsterreich, L., Holt,
B.G., Karas S. "Good Time With Toys; Toys and Equipment." Iowa Family
Child Care Handbook, 6th Ed. pp 85-95. Iowa State University Extension.
Ames, Iowa.
- National Network for Child Care-NNCC. Logoni, L.S., Martin, D.H., Maslin-Cole,
C.L, Cook, A., MacIsaac, K., Parrill, G., Bigner, J., Coker, E., and Sheie,
S. (1989). Good Times With Toys. Colorado State University
Cooperative Extension Service. Fort Collins, CO.
- Penn State Cooperative Extension, College of Agricultural Sciences.
Play Is the Business of Kids. Supported by funds from the
Pennsylvania Dept of Public Welfare, Pennsylvania Child Care/Early Childhood
Development Training System. Developed by the Better Kid Care Project.
Traci A. Johnston, Child Care Assistant
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